The state chronicle. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1883-1893, 1887-12-22
CT KlTf.

But one dead lamb is there"'
CHARITY.
From the prayer of want and plant of woe,
Oh, never, never turn away thine ear
FOrlorn In this bleak wilderness below,
All what were man should heaven REFUSE to
hear i Beattle.
THE CONyICT's CHRISTMAS EVE,
Will Carleton. in Harper's Magazine for
December.
The term was done: my penalty was past
saw the outside of the walls at last.
When lett that stone punishment of sin
Twas most as hard as when first went in.
1t seemed at once as though the SWift-voic-
ed air
Told slanderous tales about me everywhere:
As if the ground itself was shrinking back
For fear 'twould get the Gains mark of my
track.
Woiae, would edge away, with shrewd She
gueSSes,
As if my very glance would spoil their
dresses:
Men looked me over with close careless gaze
And understood my downcast, jail-bred
My hands We're so grim hardened and deflled,
| wouldn't have had the cheek to pet child;
If had spoken to a dog that day,
He would have tipped his nose and walked
And SO | wandered in a Jail of doubt
Whence neither heaven nor earth would let
out.
The world itself seemed to me every bit
AS hard a prison as the one I'd quit.
II you ate made or anything but dirt,
If you've soul that other souls can hurt,
Turn to the right h. nceforth whoever passes;
It's death to drop among the lawless classes.
Men lose, " no lose the friendship of the law,
4 blessing from each breath of air they draw;
They know the advantage OF good square
face,
When theirs has been dlsfigured by disgrace.
So trudged round appropriately slow
For one with no particular plact to go.
The houses scOwled and stared as if to say,
You Jail we are honest, walk away
fhe Factory oetmed 10 scream when ! came
near,
stand back! unsentenced men are working
here
And virtue had tn appearance all the time
OF trying hard topush me back to crime.
It struck me strange, that stormy, snow.
bleached day,
To watch the different people on the way,
All carrying bundles, of all sorts of sizes,
AS carefully as gold and silver prizes.
Well dressed or poor, Il could not understand
Why each one hugged a bundle in his hand.
| asked an old policeman what it meant.
He looked me over with eyes shrewdly bent,
w hlle muttering in a voice that fairly froZe
Its cause to-morrow's Christmas, sup
pose.
And then the fact came crashing over me,
How horribly alone man can be!
! don't pretend what tortures yet may wait
For souls that have not run their reckonings
straight;
1t isn't for mortal ignorance TO say
What kind of night may follow any day;
There may be pain for sin some time found
But don't think there's any harbor known
Worse for wrecked soul than to be alone.
Alone,-there maybe never has occurred
A word whose gloom Is glGon4let than that
word
You who can brighten up your Christmas
Joys
With ali affections small but mighty toys,
Who fancy that your gifts of love be rash,
And presents are not worth their price in
cash,
Thank God, with love and thrift no more at
war,
That you've some one to spend your money
for,
4 dollar plays a very diney part,
Till magnetiIed by some ones grateful
heart.
So evening saw me struggling up and down
Within the gayly lighted, desolate town,
A hungry, sad heart hermit all the while.
My rough face begging for friendly smile.
Folks talked with folks in new made warmth
and glee,
But no one had a word or look for me:
| Love flowed like water, but it could not
make
The world forgive me for my one mistake.
An open church some look of welcome wore
| crept in soft, and sat down near the door.
| I'd never seen 'mOngst my unhappy race
| So many happy children in one place:
never knew how much hymn could bring
| From heaven, until heard those children
sing:
| Inever saw such sweet ,breathed gales Of glee
AS swept around that fruitful Christmas
| tree.
You who have tripped through childhood.
| merry days
With passionate love protecting all YOU
ways,
| Without some present tor your sparkling
Thank God, whose goodness gave such jo,
| It's birth,
| And scattered heaven seeds in the dust o
In stone paved ground my thorny field wa
| set
| never had a Christmas present yet
And so l sat and saw them, and confess
| Felt all tn unhappier for their happiness;
| And when man gets into such state,
| He's very proud-Or very desolate.
Just then a cry OF Fire. amongst rs came
| The pretty Christmas tree all atlame;
| And one sweet child there in startle'
gaze
Was screaming, with her white clothes al
The crowd seemed crazy like, both old an
| young,
And very swift of speech, though slow Q
tongue,
But one knew what to do, and not to say,
And he a convict, just let loose that day.
l fought like one who deals in deadly strife
life lie: ~ '' ~
| I choked the flames that choked her, wit
| rich cloakS
Stoln from some good but very frightene
| folks:
gave the dear girl to her parents sight,
Unharmed by anything excepting fright;
tore the hlazlna branches from the tree
And all was safe. and no one hurt but me.
That night, of which l asked for sleep
That night, that tossed me round on prong
of pain,
That stabbed me with fierce tortures throug
and through,
Was still the happiest that | ever knew.
l felt that at last had earned place
, Among my race by suffering for my race;
mothers thanks-perhaps child's swe
t That mans warm gratitude would find
> plan
!. To lift me up, and help me be man.
Next day they brought letter to my bed.
! | / opened it with ting1ing nerves and read:
"You have upon my kindness certain CLAIM
For rescu1ng my young child from II
: Such deeds deserve a hand nnstained
crime;